Hacking Your Way Into My Heart
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: Sitara is a super hacker, but a chance encounter with Rook and Phantasmo after she escapes Plumber Prison gives her a chance to stay at the Grant Mansion. Will she stay and perhaps find love? Done as a request for VinnieStokerLover. :)


**VinnieStokerLover, who owns Sitara, asked for this one. Here you go, Amiga! Enjoy! :)**

 **Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man of Action. I only own Rachel and Phantasmo.**

* * *

 **Hacking Your Way Into My Heart**

Sitara rolled her eyes in annoyance as she paced her cell, waiting patiently for the right time to get out.

She was nineteen years old, had purple hair tied back into a braid, and eyebrow piercings. She wore a v-neck purple shirt, which allowed anyone to see the tattoo of a sugar skull with wings on her chest, and she wore black yoga pants, and black flats. She smirked when she saw the lawyer Galvan walk past her cell. "Hey, jerk. Get your car fixed yet?" She snarked.

He glared at her and continued walking, making her smirk again. Her hacking his car was the reason she was in Plumber Prison, but she didn't care. He deserved it because he was such a jerk, especially to Ben, the young man who wielded the Omnitrix.

Sitara didn't care what others said. She respected that a human boy had found a good use for the most powerful weapon in the universe and was using it to protect Earth and the peaceful aliens in the universe. She had never met him, but she hoped she would someday.

She now saw that it was nearly time for her to escape and she smiled, pulling something out of her pocket that looked like a book, but in reality, was a computer and she typed fast on the keyboard, grinning when the door of her cell opened and she quietly slipped out, closing the door behind her.

However, she knew that escaping the prison via the transporters would not be smart, unless she hacked into them to turn off the safety features, like the scanner that would no doubt catch her escape and bring the guards running.

"Thank goodness I'm half Galvan," she said to herself as she began working on her computer again.

It was true. Though she looked human, she was half-Galvan. The only inkling to her alien DNA was her eyes, which were a bright green, and her high IQ. That, and her ability as a super hacker, had gotten her out of more tight spots than she could count.

She grinned as she successfully hacked the transporters and checked on some coordinates, finding them to be odd, but with a shrug, she slightly changed them and hopped into the transporter, feeling the beam of light hit her and in a flash, she was gone.

It was hours later that the Plumber guards realized she was gone.

* * *

 _On Earth_ , _outside of a supermarket..._

Sitara worked the keys of her computer, hacking the ATM. "Hold on, guys. Sugar Bytes is working as quick as she can," she said to herself.

She heard her computer give a small beep, indicating she had gotten through and she emptied out the ATM, gathering the money inside and then quickly moving to the alley, counting the money and splitting it up evenly before moving away, holding her bag close to her as it held the money and her computer. She came across some homeless people and gave them some of the money. They gave her grateful looks as she did so. She smiled at them and nodded before moving on.

She didn't keep any of the money for herself. She gave it to the poor and those who really needed it, like the homeless or those who were really struggling to get by. Some might have frowned upon what she did, but she knew that not many rich people cared about those less fortunate.

She had just given the last bit of money to a homeless woman before seeing a familiar van, one that she knew was a Plumber vehicle in disguise, coming around the corner a few blocks away. It was no doubt on patrol, but she wasn't going to take a chance.

She hopped the bus, giving the driver the proper change before getting to a window seat, pulling out a purple hoodie from her bag and slipping it on, pulling the hood up to hide her face as she leaned her head against the window, letting out a sigh.

About an hour later, the bus pulled up to another town and Sitara decided that she'd get off the bus and see about where to go next. Calling up a map on her computer, she found the town of Staybrook wasn't that far away and it seemed mostly remote. Nodding, she hailed a cab, asking the driver to take her to Staybrook.

When they arrived, she paid the fare and gave him a large tip, thanking him before looking around and deciding to try and find an ATM to hack. There were some poor people in this town no doubt.

Surprisingly, she didn't find any ATMs, which made her curious before she noticed something nearby and hid, seeing it was a Forever Knights' truck. "Methinks this is pointless," said one. "We've searched all over."

"Aye," said another. "Perhaps we should try a little farther into the town."

Sitara made a quick decision and got on her computer, effectively hacking into the computer on the truck and grinned. "You Knights depend on technology too much," she said quietly as she made the truck go haywire, causing the Knights to cry out in surprise and hold on as the truck swerved sharply and drove off fast as if it had a mind of its own.

She carefully manuevered the truck to drive far away before she released control of it, grinning and checking to make sure the Knights couldn't track her computer, though it had the best firewalls in place and was untraceable.

Satisfied she was in the clear, she went to move away. "You must be quite clever to be so bold," came an unfamiliar voice.

Sitara turned in surprise, glancing around, but not seeing anyone. Shrugging, she turned around, but then felt something grab her shoulders. "First stealing money from ATMs and giving it to the poor and now tricking the Forever Knights into a retreat," the voice continued.

She noted how it didn't sound like a Plumber was behind her, but then again, how did the person know of her activities? She turned, but again saw no one and was now getting annoyed.

"How about you show your face before I send you packing?" She snarked.

To her shock, an Ectonurite appeared before her, but it wasn't one she had ever seen before. She quickly deduced it wasn't Zs'Skayr, which she was grateful for as she had heard enough horror stories about the creep to last her a lifetime, and it wasn't Ghostfreak, the rogue alien that had tried to harm Ben years ago, and it wasn't Ben in the other Ghostfreak form with the green cuffs and chains. It was an Ectonurite with dark purple cuffs and slightly rusted chains, grayish-white skin, and one purple eye.

She backed up. "Okay, who are you?" She asked.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "You're not afraid?" He asked. "Surely you know what I am, child?"

She nodded. "You're an Ectonurite," she said. "But you're not Zs'Skayr and you're not that rogue Ghostfreak and you're not Ben in the other Ghostfreak form."

Phantasmo's eye widened. How on Earth did this child know about Ben, let alone Zs'Skayr and what kind of alien he was. He usually got angry if anyone said that name in his presence, but the girl's calm demeanor caught him a bit off guard. "How do you know that abomination's name, child, or what kind of alien I am?" He asked.

She looked at her, her eyes glaring a little. "Why should I tell you?" She asked.

He glared back at her. "So that's how you want to play it, hmm?" He asked, unleashing his purple-and-black striped tentacles.

Sitara's eyes widened as she saw that, but she stood tall. "I'm not afraid of you," she said.

"Oh, really?" He replied, vanishing before her. She looked around, listening carefully, but gasped as she felt him enter her body.

"Hey, get out!" She exclaimed, some fear in her voice.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Sugar Bytes. Or should I say, Sitara?"

She wondered how he knew her name and her hacker name before he made her walk towards a truck and get in the back. "I have her, Rook," came Phantasmo's voice out of Sitara.

Rook looked back at the girl, cocking an eyebrow. "She didn't run?" He asked as he placed cuffs on Sitara's wrists and ankles, taking her bag away from her and placing it in a special locker in his truck.

Phantasmo exited out of the girl's body. "No, she didn't," he said. "She's a brave one, I'll give her that."

Sitara struggled as she became aware she was trapped and she growled. "Let me go!" She demanded.

"Calm down, Sitara," Rook said in a calm voice, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She jerked away from his hand. "You can't hold me here! I've done nothing wrong!" She said.

"Hacking ATMs, hacking that Galvan lawyer's car, and escaping prison is nothing wrong?" Phantasmo asked, giving her a look.

She growled at him. "Look, that Galvan creep deserved it! And I didn't keep any of the money I got from those machines! I gave it to those who really needed it, like the homeless and really poor people! And I was put in prison for hacking that stupid Galvan's car, which he deserved! He's a disgrace to us Galvans!"

Both Rook and Phantasmo shared a look of confusion. "Us Galvans?" Rook asked in confusion.

Sitara didn't say a word, but Phantasmo looked up her file. "She's half-Galvan," he said. "That explains a bit."

"And she did send those Forever Knights packing," Rook said with a nod. "Perhaps we should take her someplace other than Plumber prison."

"But Rook, you could get in trouble for that," the Ectonurite protested.

The Revonnahgander shook his head, smiling. "Not when I'm a Magister," he said. "I do have authority to place prisoners where I see fit."

The half-Galvan glared at him. "What are you going to do? Send me to a correctional facility?" She snarked at him.

He smiled again. "Nope," he said. "We're taking you to the Grant Mansion."

Sitara's head shot up in surprise, her mouth dropping open. "What?" She asked in shock.

Chuckling, Phantasmo place a hand under her chin and gently closed her mouth. "Our home," he said to clarify.

The young girl found her voice again. "No, I mean...the Grant Mansion? The place of refuge for both aliens and humans alike?"

Rook nodded. "My beautiful fiancée owns it," he said, getting into the driver's seat. "And I believe she has a spare room available."

Sitara had apparently run out of snarky things to say as she sat back in her seat, uncertainty filling her. Phantasmo noticed and gently lifted her chin up with a gentle hand. "Why are you so surprised, young one?" He asked, smiling at her.

She looked up at him. "Why are you doing this?" She asked. "Being nice to me and taking me somewhere other than prison?"

"Perhaps because we agree that that Galvan lawyer deserved what he got and on the fact that you did help those people, although not in the way we encourage, but you also put the Forever Knights on a wild ride out of Staybrook," he said. "Perhaps just as there is more to us, there is more to you, Sitara."

That stunned her and she quietly sighed, unsure of what to say.

They soon arrived at the Mansion and Rachel greeted them warmly, noticing the girl was in cuffs. She looked at Rook questioningly and he nodded, explaining the situation to her. At first, Rachel was a little reluctant to have a prisoner in her home, but she agreed that if the girl followed the rules, then she would be allowed to stay.

Phantasmo brought the girl up to her room and undid the cuffs on her. "This is your room," he said, showing her a large bedroom that was done in soft purple colors. She looked around in surprise, which seemed to amuse the Ectonurite. "Do you like it?" He asked.

"Yes," she said uncertainly before looking at him and holding out her wrist. He gave her a puzzled look and she clarified. "The wrist monitor. Or ankle monitor, whichever one you decide."

He shook his head, placing a hand on her shoulder. "No," he said softly. "We don't do that here."

She gave him a surprised look. "But how are you certain I won't escape?" She asked.

"Are you going to?" He countered back gently.

She opened her mouth to answer, but his question caught her off guard. Seeing her confusion, he chuckled, unleashing his tentacles again, using a few of them to tickle around Sitara's ears and neck. She giggled and swatted at the tentacles, but he chuckled, playful poking her sides next, which made her squirm and step back to get away from him, but he followed her until she bumped into the bed and sat down on it, to which Phantasmo gently grabbed her ankles with two tentacles, removing Sitara's sneakers and socks and tickling her bare feet with his clawed hands.

"EEEK! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEY! STOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOP!" She pleaded, squealing when a couple more striped tentacles began tickling between her toes while his claws tickled her soles, making her squeal again in laughter.

"Hmm, you're very ticklish, aren't you, young one?" Phantasmo asked with a chuckle before he continued tickling her feet with his tentacles for a bit before stopping and pinning her down lightly, lifting her shirt up a little bit and wiggling a tentacle into her belly button. She squealed again, shrieking with laughter when he began blowing raspberries into her stomach.

After a bit, he let her up, chuckling as she giggled a little while trying to catch her breath. "Well, are you going to try and escape here?" He asked again.

She looked at him. "You're going to tickle me if I say 'yes', aren't you?" She asked.

"Hmm. Not a bad idea," he said. "I just might call my son and wife in to help me tickle you."

Sitara couldn't help smiling and she sighed before coming to a decision. "I won't try to escape tonight," she said. "But no promises about tomorrow night."

Phantasmo grew curious. "You'd be willing to stay here tomorrow?" He asked.

She shrugged. "It is better than prison," she admitted.

He chuckled again before gently rubbing her head. "You know, if you decided you wanted to stay permanently, I bet Rachel would be willing to let you," he said.

"Why? I'm a criminal," she said.

"Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully before shaking his head. "No, not a criminal. Perhaps a little misguided, but you have too good of a heart to be a criminal."

She shrugged, though she did appreciate his kind words. She also felt a bit sleepy and looked up at him. "Is it okay if I take a nap?" She asked.

"Go ahead," he said kindly, sensing she was no doubt tired.

She lay down and closed her eyes, slightly opening them when she felt a blanket being tucked around her and felt Phantasmo gently stroke her head again, which helped her to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.

* * *

 _The next morning..._

Rachel and Rook were talking while drinking coffee. "Do you think she'll agree to doing community service for a month in exchange for going back to prison?" The owner of the Grant Mansion asked.

"I believe so," he said with a smile. "But we'll have to see what her answer will be."

A moment later, they noticed Sitara coming into the kitchen, but when she saw them, she hung back, looking unsure. "You can come in, hon," Rachel said kindly. "Would you like some hot chocolate?"

The girl nodded. "Yes, please," she said softly.

Rook gestured for her to have a seat and she sat down, though she seemed ready to run if need be. "Sitara, I spoke to Magister Tennyson and Azmuth put in a good word for you," he said.

She looked at him curiously. "He did?" She asked, a bit surprised that the Great Thinker had put in a good word about her.

Rook smiled. "That lawyer Galvan got on everyone's nerves about how you hacked his car and many of us feel he did deserve it," he said. "Magister Tennyson also agreed that your intentions were good, like helping the homeless. So, I have an offer for you."

Sitara nodded. "I'm listening," she said, interested in what the offer was.

He smiled again. "You do community service for the Plumbers for one month," he said. "During that month, you will stay here at the Grant Mansion. You'll be allowed to go anywhere in the Mansion you'd like along with outside, but you will not be allowed beyond the wrought-iron gate or the forest in the backyard."

She looked down, mulling over her options. What he was offering did seem fair. She looked back at him. "What kind of community service would I be doing?" She asked.

"Helping the Plumbers set up alarm systems in towns and putting virus into enemy computers," he replied. "If at the end of the one month the Plumbers are satisfied with your work, I might be able to 'pull a few strings' as the human saying goes and make you part of the Plumbers saboteur group."

Sitara nodded, seeing that she'd still be able to use her skills as a hacker and she actually was liking the idea. She looked at him. "What's the catch?" She asked.

"No catch," he said. "You have my word."

She nodded, thinking it over for a moment before looking at him. "Okay, it's a deal," she said.

Just then, Grey Matter came in and he paused as he saw her. "Tara?" He asked.

Hearing her nickname, she turned to find him standing by her. "Grey Matter?" She asked in surprise. "What...What are you doing here?"

"I live here," he said with a smile, jumping up to the table. "I've lived here ever since I met Rachel."

"Met and rescued me from the Forever Knights," the human girl said with a smile.

"You know Sitara, Grey Matter?" Rook asked.

"Yes. I've known her since she was a baby," he said. "Azmuth took her under his wing to teach her all about computers and how to make them work both inside and out. We used to work on different ways to hack computers and other electronics in school."

Sitara smiled. "Remember when we hacked the principal's computer and sent out that funny email to the teachers?" She asked.

"Oh, boy," Grey Matter said, chuckling. "We almost got caught too, though I think Azmuth knew what we had done."

Sitara giggled and Rachel grew curious. "What was so funny about the email?" She asked.

"It was an email that had a funny joke in it," Sitara explained. "The principal was kind of a stick in the mud, so Grey and I sent the funny email from his computer as a joke. It actually made the teachers laugh and some asked him where he got the funny joke from, to which he had to think of an answer quickly."

"What did he say?" Rook asked.

She giggled again. "That a good comedian never reveals his secrets," she said. "Well, that just made the teachers laugh again and a couple of them who were female asked him out on dates."

Rachel chuckled. "That is amusing," she said.

When Grey Matter heard that Sitara was going to stay at the Mansion and do some community service, he suggested that she help Frankenstrike too as the scientist had been working on some things that were giving him a bit of trouble. The half-Galvan agreed to do so.

* * *

 _One month later..._

Sitara sighed as she sat on her bed. "Well, the month's up," she said softly to herself. She gazed out the window, seeing some of the children outside playing. A knock came to her door and she turned to it. "Come in," she called.

Phantasmo entered. "I hear someone is part of the Plumber's saboteur team," he said with a smile. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," she said with a smile before looking sober. "I...I need to start packing."

He looked confused. "For what?" He asked.

"Well, Magister Tennyson said they'd have my new quarters ready at Headquarters," she replied. "I just need to tell them when I'll be there."

The Ectonurite looked at her. "You...You really wish to leave here?" He asked. "Do you not like it here?"

"It's not that," she said softly. "You guys have been super kind to me and I won't forget that, but...it was only for a month that I was supposed to stay here."

Phantasmo placed his hands on Sitara's shoulders. "Rachel would let you stay if you wanted to," he said. "She'd never kick you out."

"I know she won't," she said. "But...it's better if I leave."

He nodded softly. "Well, I can tell you that many of us will miss you," he said.

"Why?" She asked. "It's not like I'm part of the family."

"But you are," he replied. "We all see you as family. Even the children see you as an aunt/cousin."

She blinked in surprise before looking away. "Phantasmo, I...I can't stay," she said softly, looking away.

Seeing that her mind was made up, he nodded softly, pulling her into a hug, which she returned. "We won't stop you then," he said.

Rachel came in, having heard everything and she too hugged Sitara. "Sitara, remember this, if you ever want to come back, our door is always open for you," she said gently, tears gathering in her eyes. "We'll miss you."

She hugged the older woman back. "I'll miss you all too," she admitted before looking at Rachel. "Thank you. For everything."

With that, Sitara gathered her things and went to the transport beams, saying goodbye to everyone. Grey Matter was stunned to hear she wasn't staying and he gazed at the ring box he had. It contained a beautiful silver ring that he had made himself and he had been hoping to propose to her soon, but it seemed like that wouldn't happen. He went up to her, having already wrapped up the ring box, and gave it to her. "A good luck present," he said to her. "I hope you'll come for a visit soon."

"I will," she promised, smiling at him. "Thank you."

The transport beams beamed her up to Plumber Headquarters. Grey Matter sighed, tears in his eyes. Whampire noticed. "Grey Matter, did you...propose to her?" He asked.

Rachel looked surprised. "What? He was going to propose to her?" She asked.

"I was," Grey Matter said. "Until I heard she wasn't going to stay."

"But...you love her," Rook said in confusion.

"Yes," the Galvan said softly. "Enough to let her go."

Rachel picked up the small alien and hugged him, knowing this was hard for him. "Is that what the gift was? The engagement ring?" She asked.

He nodded. "I hope she likes it," he said, his voice still soft.

* * *

At Headquarters, as she was waiting to be shown to her new room, Sitara opened the gift from Grey Matter, gasping when she saw it was a ring box and she opened it, gasping at the beautiful ring inside of it. It was a silver ring with something written on it. She recognized it to be the Galvan language and her eyes widened when she translated the words.

"'To the love of my life'," she said softly before seeing a note in the box and she picked it up, reading it.

 _Sitara,_

 _I learned you were going to live at Plumber HQ and wanted to give you this. I made it myself for you as you 'hacked' your way into my heart over the month you were here at the Mansion._

 _Please know this, wherever you go, I love you and I'll never forget you, the love of my life._

 _Grey Matter_

She had tears in her eyes as she realized what the ring meant. He had been planning to propose to her, but when he learned she was leaving, he had given her the ring as a good luck present and to prove that he loved her enough to let her go.

Sitara hung her head as she put the ring on her left ring finger, tears in her eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw it was Magister Tennyson, who looked concerned. "Are you okay, Sitara?" He asked gently.

She held up her hand, showing him the ring. "Grey Matter," she said softly before her voice gave out on her as she choked back a sob.

The older man nodded softly. "He loves you," he said softly. "He had told me he was going to propose to you, but he must have realized that he didn't want to keep you from doing what you wanted to do, which was be part of the saboteur team."

"But...why didn't he tell me before I left?" She asked.

"He did, by giving you the ring," Magister Tennyson said. "He's saying he loves you enough to let you go and he'll always love you." He smiled. "You and him remind me of myself and my wife Verdona."

Sitara smiled a little before looking again at the ring and the note and she wiped away her tears before making a decision. "Magister Tennyson, is it required that I live at HQ as part of the saboteur team?" She asked.

He smiled and shook his head. "No," he said. "You can stay wherever you want."

She smiled and looked at him. "Then...I need to talk to Miss Rachel."

Back at the Mansion, it was quiet. Rachel sighed as she glanced over at Rook, who looked at her and came up to her, hugging her. "It's like a part of our family is missing," he said.

She nodded before hearing the transport beams. Curious, she and Rook went to the living room and were surprised to see Sitara there and she grinned before glomping both of them. Stunned, they returned the hugs. "Sitara," Rachel said in surprise. "Is everything alright? Did you forget something?"

"Yeah," the half-Galvan said, holding up her left hand to show them the ring. "I forgot to tell Grey Matter 'yes'."

Rook and Rachel smiled at that. "He'll be thrilled to hear that," Rachel said, smiling.

Sitara grinned before looking at them. "Miss Rachel. Magister Blonko, I was wondering...may I stay here?"

They smiled. "On one condition," Rook said.

"Yes?"

He smiled. "No formalities," he said, pulling her into a hug. "You can call me Rook."

"And you can call me Rachel," Rachel said, also hugging the girl before grinning. "Now go find your lover boy so I can update the wedding list."

Sitara giggled and went upstairs, finding Grey Matter in his lab. "Hey, Grey," she said.

He jumped in surprise and turned to find her behind him. "Tara?" He asked, his voice bordering on hope that this wasn't a dream.

She giggled before going up to him and kneeling down, kissing him full on the mouth. He returned the kiss, closing his eyes as she closed hers before they broke away softly. She smiled and showed him the ring on her finger, making him smile before he took her left hand and kneeled down on one knee.

"Sitara, will you marry me?" He asked.

"Yes," she said instantly, smiling at him.

Phantasmo, who had been watching, chuckled softly and looked over the banister where Rachel and Rook were waiting on the first floor and he gave them a thumbs up. Grinning, the blonde-haired girl updated the wedding list, excitement filling her.

The family was now complete again and just as Sitara had 'hacked' her way into Grey Matter's heart, he had also 'hacked' his way into her heart too, love filling them both.

* * *

 **This one really took off on me. :)**

 **Please leave a review, but no flames!**

 **GoldGuardian2418**


End file.
